Method of preparing a jellified fuel



E. VILLA METHOD OF PREPARING A JELLIFIED FUEL Aug. 6, .1957

2 Shee'ts-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 1, 1952 dct m m N r yin r 7 4w Atf' United States METHOD F PREPARING A JELLIFIED FUEL Emineo Villa, Paris, France Application August 1, 1952, Serial No. 302,042

Claims priority, application France August 2, 1951 1 Claim. (Cl. 44-7 The difficulties encountered in using liquid fuels have led to the necessity of providing a fuel in a solid or pasty shape and more particularly a fuel capable of being used in wick apparatuses, such as lighters and stoves and also for other applications such as devices operating under pressure e. g. brazing lamps, blow-torches and the like.

"The jellified fuels that have been proposed hitherto show serious drawbacks due in particular to the use as a jellifying material of substances that .produce ashes upon combustion. This leads to a fouling of the wick and consequently to inoperative conditions of the wick 'apparatuses.

My invention has for its object a novel jellified fuel that does not show any of the prior drawbacks and that is adapted for use not only in lighters, stoves and the like but also for military purposes and for feeding reactors.

-My invention has also for its object a method for jellifying hydrocarbons with a view to obtaining this novel fuel.

My improved method consists chiefly in admixing the liquid fuel to be jellified with vaheavy hydrocarbon of the type incorporating long chain parafiins, the melting point of which ranges between 80 and 150 C., heating the mixture above the melting point of the parafiin and cooling the mixture preferably in an abrupt manner.

According to an auxiliary feature of my invention, I resort to 'heavy parafiins, the general formula of which is CnH(2n+2) or higher polymers thereof, the specific weight of which is comprised between-0.94 and 0.97, and more particularly ozokerite.

I may mention by way of examples the following mixtures that have led to favorable results.

First example.-I have admixed at room temperature:

45 parts by weight of kerosene 45 parts by weight of commercial gasoline parts by weight of hexacontane CsoH122 The above mixture is heated to 85 C. under energetic stirring conditions and then cooled suddenly. The paste obtained has a whitish appearance and forms a gel similar in its consistency to petroleum jelly.

It is also possible to incorporate to the fuel thus obtained additional substances and in particular lead tetraethyl, the amounts of which range between 1 and 2%.

Second examp e.It is also possible to produce a jellified fuel constituted by a mixture of:

40 parts by weight of gas oil or white spirit 40 parts by weight of a mixture of alcohol and commercial gasoline in proportions such as will correspond to complete miscibility 20 parts by weight of ozokerite The mixture is executed as follows: the ozokerite being melted, I incorporate thereto at a temperature near 100 C. the gas oil or the white spirit while stirring continuously; the mixture obtained is then brought to a temperature approximating 0 C. and is allowed to cool slowly down to 100 C. while stirring continuously. The alcohol and gasoline mixture is then introduced and, after energetic stirring, an abrupt cooling is executed.

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The fuel obtained in either of the above examples shows the advantage of retaining the appearance of a gel up to temperatures of the magnitude of C. There forms at room temperature a thin superficial layer of greater consistency that prevents the evaporation of the volatile products, such as gasoline or alcohol; said layer melts easily even under the action of a spark, whereby the volatile products forming part of the mixture are first inflamed and the heavier products are inflamed thereafter as they are carried along. Such compositions formpractically no deposit.

Third example.-The composition selected for the jellified fluid comprises:

45 parts by weight of a nonvolatile hydrocarbon such as kerosene, gas oil or white spirit 45 parts by weight of a volatile hydrocarbon (commercial gasoline) 10 parts by weight of ozokerite The ozokerite is first melted at C. and then there is added thereto under stirring conditions the nonvolatile hydrocarbon. The temperature is raised to C. and the mixture is then allowed to cool slowly while said mixture is 'kept stirred. The volatile hydrocarbon is then added at a temperature of 100 C. while the stirring is continued energetically and the final cooling beyond 100 C. is performed abruptly.

Fourth example.The following parts are mixed together:

12 parts by weight of ozokerite 44 parts by Weight of white spirit 22 parts by weight of kerosene 22 parts by weight of gasoline The mixture is executed in the following manner, reference being made to accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a sectional view of the apparatus serving for the execution of the method.

Fig. 2 is an explanatory diagram.

The method consists as illustrated in Fig. 2 in melting 12 parts by weight of ozokerite or any other suitable parafiinic hydrocarbon including a'long'chain and having a high melting point, this being performed through any heating means distributing the temperature in a uniform manner; there is added at the melting temperature of the parafiinic hydrocarbon 44 parts by weight of white spirit, the temperature is raised to l70-l80 C. and then 22 parts by weight of kerosene are added and the temperature of the mixture is raised to C. and the mixture allowed to cool slowly down to a temperature substantially equal to 100 C. and there is added, while the mixture is still at said temperature of 100 C., 22 parts by weight of commercial gasoline and lastly the mixture obtained is submitted to the action of cold water so as to obtain an abrupt final cooling.

The apparatus used for the execution of the product according to the invention includes as shown in Fig. 1 a container 1 for the ozokerite, which container is pro vided with a rotary distributing member 2, a container filled with white spirit provided at its lower end with an exhaust pipe 4 adapted to be closed by a cock 5 and a container of kerosene 6 also provided with an exhaust pipe 7 adapted to be closed by a cock 8. These three containers are positioned above a vat 9 provided at its upper end with a cover 10 through which passes a hopper 11 adapted to receive the ozokerite from the container 1 and also the white spirit from the container 3 and the kerosene from the container 6. The vat 9 is immersed inside an oil bath 12 housed in a chamber 13; this oil bath may be heated through the agency of an electric resistance 14 provided with adjusting means and a switch 15. The lower part of the vat 9 is stirred by a stirrer constituted by a spindle 16 passing through the bottom of the vat 9 and carrying the vanes 17, said spindle being driven into rotation by an electric motor located on the outside of the chamber Two thermometers 19 and 20 control respectively the temperature of the oil bath and the temperature of the mixture fed into the vat 9.

An exhaust pipe 21 opening into the vat 9 is provided With a cock 22 connecting it, when the latter is open. with a vat 23 provided with a jacket 23a inside the outer Wall 23b, a flow of cooling water being provided through said jacket by means of a Water-feeding pipe provided with a cock 25 and of an overflow pipe 26 for the exhaust of the Water.

Above the vat 23 is located a gasoline container 27 adapted to empty into the exhaust pipe 28 provided with a cock 29 and opening in its turn inside the jacketet vat 23.

The operation of the above described arrangement is as follows:

12 parts by Weight of ozokerite are fed from the con tainer 1 through the distributor 2 into the hopper 11 and thence into the vat 9. The oil bath is heated by the resistance 14 and its temperature is controlled by the thermometer 19; once the mixture has een melted and a temperature of about 100 C. is indicated by the thermometer 20, the stirrer 16-17 is started through the agency of the electric motor 18 and the cock 5 providing for the feed of white spirit is opened; 44 parts by weight of white spirit are thus transferred and measured through any known means, which need not be illustrated, and the mixture is brought to 170180 C. Once this temperature has been reached and the mixture has become homogeneous by reason of the operation of the stirrer, the cock 8 of the pipe 7 feeding the kerosene from the container 6 is opened; 22 parts by weight of this kerosene are incorporated to the mixture in the vat 9 and the temperature is raised to 190 C. The heating is then switched off at 15 and the mixture is cooled down to 100 C. and, this temperature being obtained, the cock 22 of the exhaust pipe 21 is opened, so that the mixture enters the vat 23 and at the same time the cock 29 controlling the feed of gasoline from the container 27 is opened. The mixture is rendered homogeneous through automatic or hand-operated means and it is then cooled abruptly by a stream of cold water inside the jacket surrounding the vat 23 after opening of the water-controlling cock 25.

The product obtained should assume the appearance of petroleum jelly. It is removed from the vat 23 througr 4 any mechanical or hand-operated means suitable for this purpose.

The final product obtained in accordance with my invention incorporates volatile components that have not been vaporized during the steps of production. This jellified product has a high calorific capacity of the order of 11,000 calories and may serve for the feeding of lighters, stoves and generally speaking any conventional supply of calorific energy of a similar nature.

J /hat I claim is:

A method of preparing a fuel from ozokerite, white spirit, kerosene, and gasoline by the steps and in the proportions indicated, the said method comprising melting substantially twelve parts by weight of ozokerite, maintaining the temperature of the ozokerite substantially at its melting point while actively mixing therewith substantially forty-four parts by weight of white spirit, raising the temperature of the resulting mix to to C. and stirring to render it homogeneous, then incorporat ing in the thus heated mass twenty-two parts by weight of kerosene and thereafter raising the temperature to sub stantially C., discontinuing the heating and permitting the mass from the last preceding step to cool slowly to substantially 100 C. at which temperature the latter mass and twenty-two parts by weight of gasoline are simultaneously introduced into and mixed together in a cooling zone wherein the resulting product is abruptly cooled to form a jellified fuel.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATET-ITS 1,471,566 Murphy Oct. 23, 1923 2,596,829 Trusler May 13, 1952 2,627,938 Frohmader et al Feb. 19. 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS I 4,847 Great Britain of 1900 437,065 Great Britain Oct. 23, 1935 OTHER REFERENCES Technology of Solvents, Jordan, Leonard Hill Limited. London (1938), pages 202203.

Warth: The Chemistry and Technology of Waxes, Reinhold Pub. Co, N. Y., 1947, pages 197, 199-200.

Commercial Waxes, Bennett Chemical Publishing Co., Inc., 1944, pages 254-255. 

